Four member carriers of the American Eagle group neared the one million level in monthly boardings during January. In releasing traffic statistics for the first time, that carrier reported that its four subsidiaries - Executive, Flagship, Simmons and Wings West - boarded 956,928 passengers in January, a 35.5% increase year over year. Available seat miles were up 24.7% to 376.1 million and revenue passenger miles rose 36.4% to 196.3 million for an overall system load factor of 52.2%.
Delta Connection affiliate Atlantic Southeast recorded a 15% increase in revenue passenger miles during January to 60.5 million from 52.6 million in January 1995. Capacity rose 4.4% to 139.8 million available seat miles from 133.9 million. The load factor gained four points to 43.3%, as passenger boardings increased 20.3% to 253,842. ASA President John Beiser said, "We are pleased with our January traffic despite the extreme severe weather conditions that forced us to significantly reduce our operation on numerous occasions throughout the month."
Network Connection said it will introduce SkyLAN, an inflight digital video-on-demand Internet access and office software application that enables passengers to access the Internet and do office work while flying on passenger aircraft. SkyLAN, an extension of the company's AirView inflight entertainment system, will offer an accounting and spreadsheet program, a word processing program, a legal writing program, a graphics program and a proposal program.
Air Wisconsin made 81.4 million seat miles available in January, a 38.4% increase from the same 1995 month. Traffic rose less than half as fast - 19% to 36.3 million revenue passenger miles from 30.5 million. The load factor dropped 7.2 percentage points to 44.6%, and enplanements also declined - 6.7% to 135,638. Geoff Crowley, president of the BAe 146 operator, said, "The combination of bad weather in the Midwest, East and heavy snow in Aspen in the early part of January negatively affected our traffic."
AirTran Airways' January traffic was 436% higher than January 1995 on 182% more capacity. Revenue passenger miles totaled 54.4 million, up from 10.2 million, and available seat miles 102.1 million, up from 36.2 million. The load factor increased 25.2 percentage points to 53.3%.
DASH 8 PROGRAM STATUS, JAN. 1, 1996 Delivered Backlog Total Series 100 294 0 294 Series 200 2 33 35 Series 300 113 5 118 Program Total 409 38 447 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Total -100 -100
USAir Express affiliate CCAIR reported net earnings of $38,732, or one cent per share, on slightly more than $16 million in revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1995. For the comparable 1994 quarter, the regional reported a net profit of $437,308, or six cents per share, on revenues of $15.1 million. CCAIR said revenue for the last 15 days of December was about $400,000 lower than expected as yield for the Christmas holidays was 33 cents per RPM. 3 Mos. Ended 3 Mos. Ended
Using Skyphone, an airline satellite communications network consortium, ADS Europe completed its first live trial of the new satellite-based ADS (automatic dependent surveillance) global air traffic control system aboard a scheduled British Airways 747-400 flight between London Heathrow and Miami. A similarly successful test flight on a KLM Boeing 747-400 was conducted simultaneously, and ADS Europe said the trials will be expanded soon to include additional aircraft from both airlines, and Airbus A340s from Air France and Lufthansa.
Reno Air posted a fourth quarter net profit and its first full-year profit in almost four years in business. Reno turned in a fourth quarter net profit of $224,000 and a 1995 net profit of nearly $2 million. Both results were dramatic improvements over a dismal 1994, in which Reno found itself caught in the battle of wills in the western U.S. between Shuttle by United and Southwest. Reno lost $5.9 million in fourth quarter 1994 and nearly $14 million for the year.
Apollo Travel Services' new program, ApolloMonitor, gives travel agencies a way to monitor productivity, reduce error and determine training needs, the agency said. A monitoring agent will see the same screen display and entries as the monitored employee. The system will help agencies boost the effectiveness of employees.
Marietta, Ga.-based Bossard Publications has debuted Flying Careers, a monthly magazine for current and aspiring professional pilots who want to track employment and stay informed on airline issues. The magazine plans to feature at least two airlines in each issue, focusing on recruitment, hiring, testing, simulator evaluation and the after-hire process.
TWA has committed itself to consider increased travel options to Oklahoma following meetings with officials of the state, the cities of Tulsa and Oklahoma City and civic organizations. TWA said it has begun "active discussions" to improve service and will adjust its schedule in May. Mark Coleman, senior VP-marketing, said the carrier also is "looking for additional pricing initiatives, education and promotional efforts in the state." TWA indicated that most of the service will connect through St. Louis.
Hawaiian Airlines reported an 18% increase in systemwide traffic in January, from 252.8 million revenue passenger miles in January 1995 to 298.4 million this year. Available seat miles climbed 19.5% to 427 million, so the load factor fell 0.9 percentage points to 69.9%. January 1996 January 1995 Rev. Passenger Miles 298,376,415 252,803,646 Available Seat Miles 427,037,631 357,288,855 Load Factor (%) 69.9 70.8
Northwest Airlink Mesaba Airlines will turn to either the Dornier 328 or the Saab 340 as the replacement aircraft for both its Dash 8s and Metro IIIs, the airline confirmed (DAILY, Feb. 2). The carrier said it would replace its current fleet of 51 aircraft - 26 19-seat Fairchild Metro IIIs and 25 37-seat de Havilland Dash 8-100s - over the next two and one-half years with one of the 30-passenger-class models, and it hopes to reach an agreement with Dornier or Saab by the end of this month.
Jewish organization B'nai B'rith has called for the immediate withdrawal of a new Alfred Knopf travel guide to The Holy Land after discovering an Islamic crescent moon under the book jacket. B'nai B'rith complained in December that maps in the guide failed to identify the state of Israel. Knopf President Sonny Mehta said the maps would be corrected, but the newest discovery has led the Jewish organization to believe the guide has a clear anti-Zionist message.
FedEx said yesterday that Gilbert Mook has been appointed senior VP of air operations and Leonard Feiler will be senior VP-central support services. Both appointments are subject to board approval. Mook succeeds Theodore Wise, who was promoted recently to senior VP-worldwide operations. Feiler was VP-global operations planning and control.
Japan Airlines will take delivery today of its first Boeing 777 in Seattle. On hand for the turnover will be Ron Woodard, president of Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, and JAL President Akira Kondo. JAL plans to launch the 389-seat 777-200, which is powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4077 engines, April 26 on domestic service between Tokyo Haneda and Kagoshima. Later, it will use it on flights from Tokyo to Fukuoka and Nagasaki.
Taesa Airlines will resume flights to St. Maarten Feb. 18, the first charter service to the island since a major hurricane devastated it six months ago. Scheduled service was maintained, but other flights were dropped because of a lack of facilities, Taesa said.
KLM plans to launch air service to China after the Dutch and Chinese governments finalize a recently negotiated bilateral air agreement, KLM said yesterday. The carrier plans twice-weekly nonstop service between Amsterdam and Beijing operated with a 747-400 Combi.
Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) has released a General Accounting Office study undertaken to assess whether the rapid growth of casinos and riverboat gambling in the U.S. is making money laundering harder to track. The report questions whether the Internal Revenue Service has enough resources to regulate the gaming industry, which has exploded as a hot tourist attraction. Since 1991, riverboat casinos have grown from zero to 60 in five states, according to Nunn's office.
Northwest has launched this year's annual spring fare sale, offering savings of 30%-40% for most destinations - and 50% for some - in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Most major carriers quickly matched the sale. Fares are good for travel Feb. 28 through April 30 and must be purchased by midnight Feb. 20. They require a 14-day advance purchase and a Saturday night stay. Continental said it is "sweetening the pot" by cutting fares at Corpus Christi, Harlingen and El Paso, Texas.
Kuoni, the largest Swiss tour operator, intends to make Luton Airport, north of London, its base for daily charter flights between London and Zurich. The new tour program, which will start in April, is expected to carry more than 100,000 passengers. Kuoni will use its new airline partner, Edelweiss Air, which will operate McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. The decision to select Luton for the full program follows a 13- week trial last summer.
United and British Midland have applied again for code-sharing authority between London Heathrow and Dublin using the U.K. carrier's aircraft. They were denied the rights in 1990 because the Irish do not permit U.S. carriers to serve Dublin via London under a code share unless they also operate to Shannon Airport (DAILY, Feb. 14).
